Knitting machine



Dec. 31, 1929. A. c. NEBEL KNITTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 15, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 or new -Dec. 31, 1929. A. c. NEBEL KNITTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 15, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 (ZJ/KZ 5 Dec. 31, 1929. Q NEBEL 1,742,048

KNITTING MACHINE Filed 001;. 15, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 l I e- I & I I g g l I I I I a mfmmlatmm minim GI) Dec. 31, 1929. A. c. NEBEL KNITTING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 15, 1927 a a E J E .m 7 6 MW 2 E w w 6 a 6 6 7 5 w A 4 3 a 5 x2 3 a 3 x... 3 u a l U -i Ta M W 4 H n /7 5 & J i.. W

W av M w. w MW 6 w 6 r 2 gwuantoz Patented Dec. 31, 1929 PATENT OFFICE ALBIN c. REBEL, or AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK KNITTING MACHINE Application filed October 15, 1927. Serial No. 226,331.

This invention relates to improvements in knitting machines and particularly to what might be called a jacquard mechanism especially adapted to use as an attachment for machines for knitting full fashioned hosiery.

One object of the invention is to provide a jacquard'mechanism of simple construction for knitting in the hose a clock or other 19 decorative design.

A further object of the invention is to provide a jacquard mechanism of the foregoing character capable of quick adjustment to vary the design knitted in the hosiery.

Another object consists in operating the attachment from the drive shaft of the machine proper by a cam arrangement wherein no great degree of accuracy is necessary in the formation of the camming surfaces. In this connection, the same cams are used regardless of the design being placed in the hosiery. In other words, there is no necessity of changing the cams when it is desired to alter the design.

In the present instance, the supplemental thread carrying means for laying the additional thread used in knitting the decorative design may be actuated to lay thread for one or more needles, not necessarily an even num-. ber of needles. This is of importance in knitting irregularly shaped designs.

A further object is to provide an attachment of the character mentioned with which a design composed of a multiplicity of threads may beknitted in the hose. This permits the knitting of multi-colored designs or designs consisting of separate spaced lines formed of separate threads.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will hereinafter be more fully described and the novel features thereof particularly pointed'out in the appended claims.

a In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevational view illustrating more or less in conventional manner a full-fashion knitting machine with the jacquard mechanism attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view transversely of the machine showing the jacquard actuating connections.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged front elevation, partly in section, of the jacquard attachment.

Fig. 4 1s a plan view of the jacquard ac- Figs. 8 and 9 are detail views of-the tensioning devices for the threads of the supplemental carriers.

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatical illustration of threads laid in position to be knitted by the needles.

It will be understood that the present attachment or what may be termed jacquard mechanism is capable of being combined with practically any of the full-fashioned knitting machines supplied the industry and as the essence of the invention is the attachment itself, it is not necessary to enter upon a full detailed disclosure of the knitting machine proper. Consequently, in the accompanying drawings, the knitting needles 20 are shown more or less diagrammatically in connection with the sinkers 21 and dividers 22, together with the threadcarrier 23. As is well understood in the art, the thread carrier 23 is intermittently moved back and forth across the sinkers 21, laying a thread 24 on the tops of the latter lengthwise of the bank of needles 20. After the thread 24 has been laid on the sinkers, the latter are advanced between the needles, pushing the thread between the needles. The sinkers, however, are spaced apart from each other so that they pass between alternate needles and for this reason the dividers 22 are likewise spaced apart to pass between the other alternate'needles. As the dividers are advanced between the needles after the sinkers they engage the thread after it has been drawn rather taut across two adjacent These combined movements of the needles. sinkers and dividers result in the thread being partially wrapped rather tightly around each of the needles. The needles are then moved downwardly between the dividers and sinkers, drawing the thread through the loops at the end of the previously formed portion of the knitted material. The edge of the knitted material 25 is supported by knocking-over bits 26 during this operation. These movements are all a portion of the ordinary cycle of operations of the full-fashioned knitting machines now on the market and as the mechanism for effecting the same and other additional steps in the usual knitting operation constitute no part of the present invention a further description thereof is thought unnecessail'y. y or the purposes of the present inventlon,

means are provided for laying more additional threads 24 on the sinkers each time thread carrier 23 traverses the bank of needles. Such means are preferably in the form of a series of supplemental thread carriers 27, each adapted to lay a separate thread 24. Carriers 27 are removably attached in a clamp 28 adjustably secured as by set screws 29 on a supporting rod or bar 30 slidahle in brackets 31 fixed on a bar 32 mounted on the frame of the machine, and constitutes an ordinary part thereof. It should be mentioned that a plurality of knitting devices or units are arranged in a series orbattery, two such units being indicated in Fig. 1, by the two pieces of material shown at 25. In actual practice, the battery contains as high as eighteen in number. In each instance the supporting bars 30 and 32 extend the full length of the battery and carry the supplemental thread carriers of the several units.

Attached to bracket 31 and to an extension 35 on bar 30, is a spring 34 that holds the end of rod 30 against an arm 36 mounted on a block 37 adapted to slide in a box 38 mounted on the machine frame. The number of springs used in the entire battery of units will, of course, depend'upon the number of units, it being understood that the brackets 31 and extensions 35 are simply duplicated. As will be explained block 37 is adapted to be moved by power driven connections in one direction, (to the right in the present illustration) and partially returned a predetermined but variable distance by other actuating means. In the present illustration these connections for moving the block to the right consist of cam member 39 mounted on the main drive shaft 40 of the machine, said cam being adapted to engage a roller 41 carried by a lever 42 mounted at one end on a bar 43. At its opposite end lever 42 is provided with an upwardly extending arm 44 whose upper free end is formed with a cam or wedge surface 45, the distance between the high and low points of said surface determining the throw to be imparted to block 37.

The cam or wedge portion 45 of arm 44 is located between a roller 46 journaled on a stud fixed on box 38 and a roller 47 journaled on a stud 48 projecting through a slot 49 in said box and mounted in block 37. The straight side face of arm 44 engages the roller 46 on the box and the inclined surface 45 engages the roller 47 journaled on the stud 48 which is mounted in block 37 so that upon arm 44 being moved upwardly by cam 39 on shaft 40, roller 47, together with block 37 will be forced to the right, against the tension of spring or springs 34. When the high point of cam 39 passes roller 41 lever 42 and arm 44 will be pulled downwardly by a spring 50 connected to said lever and a rod 51 mounted in the machine frame.

This downward movement of arm 44 leaves block 37 and arm 36 free to be retracted under the influence of a spring 52 connected to said arm 36 and to box 38 as well as by the influence of spring 34 which tends to retract bar 30. This return movement of said block, arm 36, and bar 30, however, is adapted to be so regulated that threads 24 laid by the supplemental carriers 27, during their movement toward the right, will traverse only a predetermined number of needles. For instance, by the movement of bar 30 forward or toward the right, as just described, each carrier 27 will traverse, say, twelve needles, in the bank of needles, so that each supplemental thread 24 will be laid in front of all twelve needles. The return movement of bar 30 will, however, be limited so that each carrier 27 will traverse say, only seven needles, so that when the needles are actuated, only every alternate set of five will engage supplemental threads 24,

it being understood that tensioning devices, to be later described, will have taken up any slack in said threads before the needles are actuated.

In knitting goods,such as illustrated in Fig. 7, the above movements would be imparted to carriers 27 in making the first line of stitches in the design. In making the second line of stitches, bar 30 would be moved forward or toward the right twelve needles and would be permitted to return the same distance so that when threads 24 were tensioned by the devices to be described, they would extend across the needles from the right hand end of the first line of stitches to the left hand end thereof. After the second row of stitches had been made, the movements for the two lines would be repeated alternately until the sixth line was to be made, at which time the retraction of the bar would be limited to two l lll needles so that threads 24 would lie in front of ten needles. After the sixth line, in Fig.

7, has been made, the bar 30 would be moved only two spaces to the right but would be permitted to retract the distance of seven needles so that when the threads 24 were tensioned they would lie in front of only five needles, i. e., from the stitch previously formed by the tenth needle in the bank to the sixth needle. I

The arrangement for controlling this irregular return movement of the bar 30 and carriers 27 may, of course, take forms other than that disclosed but in order to simplify the mechanism and to permit a ready change of design such mechanism preferably consists of an endless chain 53 carrying a plurality of stops adapted to successively engage the end of block 38. Said stops may be in the form of pins 54 preferably detachably secured on chain 53. Chain 53 travels on sprockets 55, 56 one of which is mounted on a shaft 57 journaled in box 38 and the other of which is mounted on a shaft journaled in a supporting frame 58 mounted on the main frame of the machine.

At the exterior of box 38, shaft 57 is provided with a ratchet 59 and with a loosely mounted plate 60 which carries a pawl 61 adapted to engage said ratchet. Plate 60 is connected by a link 62 with a lever 63 pivoted on rod 43 and ournaled on a pin on said lever 63 is a roller 64 which engages a cam member 65 mounted on shaft 40. As will be'understood each time lever 63 is elevated by cam 65, plate 60 will be raised or rocked on shaft 57 and pawl 61, which is yieldingly held in engagement with ratchet 59 by a spring 66, V

will rotate shaft 57 one step, or sufficient to move chain 53 a distance equal to the space between two pins 54. The relative positions of cams 39 and 65 circumferentially of shaft 40 is such that chain 53 will be actuated when block 37 has been moved to the right. In other words, one pin 54 will be in engagement with block 38 while one row of stitches is being made, after which block 38 is moved to the right to change the position of carriers 27 and it is during this movement of block 38 that chain 53 is actuated to bring the next adjacent pin 54"into position to engage block 38 and determine the extent of return movement thereof. To insure the return or downward movement of plate 60 and lever 62, lever 63 is yieldingly held in its lowermost position by a spring 67 connected thereto and to the frame of the machine. Also, spring 66 for holding pawl 61 in engagement with the ratchet may be pivoted on a pin 68 on plate 60 so that said spring may be moved to one side and pawl 61 thrown back out of engagement with the ratchet. This is ordinarily done when plain knitting is done, under which circumstances the jacquard attachment may remain inoperative. If desired, a brake band 69 held under the desired tension by springs 70 may be applied toapulley 71 fast on shaft 57 riers 27 or threads 24. Each plate is formed with eyes 74, 75 through which one of threads 24 pass from their source of supply to carriers 27. At the point wher the thread passes through eye 74 it is engaged by a sprlng 76 mounted on plate 72, but when the supplemental carriers 27 are being moved the position of each plate is such that the thread is released by reason ofsaid spring bemg raised slightly by a bar 77 mounted in the upper portion of the frame. This release of the thread permits it to be easily fed through the plate. After the carriers 27 have been moved to the right and retracted, and it is necessary to take up the slack thread as before mentioned, shaft 73 is adapted to be rocked so as to raise spring 76 free of bar 77 whereupon the thread will be gripped, but not too firmly, between said spring and plate 72 with the result that the slack thread is taken up by the continued elevation of said plate. To rock shaft 73, it is provided with a rock arm 78 which is connected by a link 79 to one end of a lever 80 whose other end carries a roller 81. Roller 81 rides on a cam 82 on shaft 40, the disposition of said cam on the shaft being such that the rocker arm 78 will be depressed to elevate plates 72 and tension threads 24 only after block 37, rod 30 and supplemental carriers 27 have made their return movement. Referring to Figs. 3 and 4 it will be observed that the block 37 is positioned against a short pin 54. and as chain 53 moves in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3 this pin may be said to belong, so to speak, to the set of pins which are shown as just having passed block 37 in Fig. 3. Assuming, as before, that the carriers 27 are moved twelve needles to the right this set of pins were used in letting the carriers return alternately to the first and fifth needles as before described, to form the row of spaced blocks at the edge of the material as shown in Fig. 7.

As will be seen in Fig. 7, upon the next movement of block 37 and carriers 27 to the right the long pin 54 will move up into the path of the block. This pin might be said to belong to the next set and its length is to be assumed to be such that said block and carrier can move back only two needles. While in this position the first row of stitches of the next set of blocks in the design is knitted, this set of blocks being staggered with respect to the preceding blocks as shown in Fig. 7. ,On the next movement of block 37 to the right, the next pin, which might be said to be the short pin in the second set of formed in the material after which another set of pins, similar to the first set will have been brought around by chain 53 to engage the block on its return movement. With this latter set of pins in action a row of blocks, similar to the first row, will be formed in the material. 7

It will be understood that the lines denoting the blocks in the design illustrated in Fig.

7 are not to be considered as indicating the actual rows of stitching in each block as the number of such rows of stitching will actually correspond to the number of pins, both -long and short, in each group or set of pins 54 on chain 53. Attention is also called to the fact that chain 53 is not shown as havpins throughout its length and that said chain, as well as its bracket, is shown broken away.

In the foregoing description it has been assumed that cam surface on bar 44 throws the supplemental carriers 27 twelve needles to the right. In the actual machine this .throw may be any desired distance in excess of the distance between two adjacent carriers 27. With the present arrangement for laying the supplemental threads, it will be apprech ated that they may be laid in front of any desired number of needles, either an even or an odd number thereof, whereas in prior instances a supplemental thread used for incorporating a design had to be laid in front of two.needles or multiples of two. Again, in the present instance, if it is desired to alter the design it is only necessary to change the pins 54 using other pins of different length.

The same cams and connections are used with pins of all lengths.

What I claim is: 1. In a knitting machine, the combination of a bank of needles, sinkers and dividers adapted to cooperate with said needles, a

thread carrier for laying a thread on the sinkers, a series of. supplemental thread carriers for laying additional threads on said sinkers, a support on which said supplemental carriers are supported, and means for reciprocating said support, a predetermined distance whereby each supplemental carrier will traverse a predetermined number of sinkers, the movement of said support in one direction being to a regular predetermined point.

2. In a knitting machine, the combination of a bank of needles, sinkers and dividers cooperating with said needles, a thread carri'er for laying a thread transversely on said sinkers, and means for laying additional threads on said sinkers at points spaced longitudinally of the bank of needles, said means comprising a carrier support movable in one direction to the same point transversely of the sinkers and returnable a variable distance in the opposite direction.

3. In a knitting machine, the combination of a bank of needles, sinkers and dividers cooperating with said needles, a thread carrier for laying a thread transversely on said sinkers, and means" for laying additional threads on said sinkers, each thread traversing a separate group of sinkers, said means comprising a carrier support movable in one direction to the same point transversely of the needles and returnable a variable distance in the opposite direction.

4. In a knitting machine, the combination of a bank of needles, sinkers and dividers cooperating with said needles, a thread carrier for laying a thread on the sinkers, a series of supplemental thread carrying members positioned along said bank of needles, and means for reciprocating said supplemental thread carriers past a predetermined number of needles to the same point transversely of the needles upon each operation in one direction and for returning them variable distances in the opposite direction. 5. In a knitting machine, the combination of a bank of needles, sinkers and dividers cooperating with said needles, a thread carrier for laying a thread on said sinkers, a supplemental thread carrying member, a drive shaft, and connections between said shaft and supplemental thread carrier for reciprocating said supplemental thread carrier past a predetermined number of needles to the same point transversely of the needles upon each operation in one direction and for returning them variable distances in the opposite direction.

6. In aknitting machine, the combination of a bank of needles, sinkers and dividers cooperating with said needles,- a thread carrier for laying a thread on the sinkers, a se, ries of supplemental thread carrying members positioned along said bank of needles, and means for reciprocating said supplemental thread carriers past a predetermined number of needles, said supplemental carriers being constantly moved to the same point in one direction and means for permitting a variable movement thereof in the opposite direction.

7. In a knitting machine, the combination of a bank of needles, sinkers and dividers cooperating with said needles, a thread carrier for laying a thread on said sinkers, a drive shaft, supplemental thread feeding tal thread members, means operable by said shaft for reciprocating said slide constantly to the same point in one direction along said bank of needles, and means for retracting said slide variable distances. V

8. In a knitting machine, the combination of a bank ofneedles, sinkers and dividers cooperating with said needles, a thread carrier for laying a thread on said sinkers, a drive shaft, supplemental thread feeding members, a slide supportingsaid supplemental thread members, means opera 'lefhysaids.

shaft for reciprocating said slide in one direction along said bank of needles, means for retracting said slide, and means separate from said reciprocating means for varying the extent of retraction of said slide.

9. In a knitting machine, the combination of a bank of needles, sinkersand dividers cooperating with said needles, a thread carrier for laying a thread on the sinkers, a plurality of supplemental thread carriers, a support therefor, and means for reciprocating said support, said means comprising a slide connected to the support, a drive shaft, a cam member movable by said shaft and engaging said slide to move the same in one direction, and a spring for retracting said slide and means for determining the extent of the retractive movement of the slide.

10. In a knitting machine, the combina tion of a bank of needles, sinkers and dividers cooperating with said needles, a thread carrier for laying a thread on the sinkers, a plurality of supplemental thread carriers, a.support therefor, means for reciprocating said support, said means comprising a slide connected to the support, a drive shaft, means actuated by said shaft for moving the slidevin one direction, a spring for retracting said slide, and means for limiting the retraction of the sllde to predetermined variable distances.

11. In a knitting machine, the comblnation of a bank of needles, sinkers and dividers cooperating with said needles, a

thread carrier for laying a thread on the sinkers, a plurality of supplemental thread carriers, a support therefor, means for reciprocating said support, said means comprising a slide connected to the support, a drive shaft, means actuated by said shaft for moving the slide in one direction, means for retracting said slide, and a series of stops for limiting the retraction of the slide, said stops being adapted to permit the slide to be retracted variable distances.

12. In a knitting machine, the combination of a bank of needles, sinkers and dividers cooperating with said needles, a thread carrier for laying. a thread on the sinkers, a plurality of supplemental thread carriers, a support therefor, means for reciprocating said support, said means oomgr smg a slide connected to the sup rt, 0.

rive shaft, means actuated by said haft for moving the slide in one direction, means for retracting said slide, and a series of ins adapted to successively en age said-slid e to limit the retraction thereoi 13. In a knitting machine, the combination of a bank of needles, sinkers and dividers cooperating with said needles, a thread carrier for laying a thread on the sinkers, a plurality of su plemental thread carriers, a support there or, means for rec1procat1ng said support, said means compr smg a slide connected to the support, a drlve shaft, means actuated by said shaft for moving the slide in one direction, means for retracting said slide, and a series of pins adapted to successively en age said slide to limit the retraction thereoi said pins bein of different lengths whereby the slide wil be retracted different distances.

14. In a knitting machine, the combina- 4 tion of a bank of needles, sinkers and dividers cooperating with said needles, a thread carrier for laying a thread on the sinkers, a plurality of supplemental thread carriers, a support therefor, means for reciprocating said support, said means comprising a slide connected to the support, a drive shaft, means actuated by the shaft for moving the slide in one direction, means for retracting said slide, a series of pins for limiting the retraction of said slide, and means actuated by said shaft for bringing said stop pins into engagement with said slide successively. v

15. In a knitting machine, the combination of a bank of needles, sinkers and dividers cooperating with said needles, a thread carrier for laying a thread on the sinkers, a plurality of supplemental thread carriers, 2. support therefor, means for reciprocating said support, said means comprising a slide connected to the support, a drive shaft, means actuated by said shaft for moving the slide in one direction, means for retracting said slide, an endless chain,

a series of pins on said chain, and means for intermittently moving said chain to successively position said pins in the path of the slide durmg its retraction whereby the extent ries of stops detachably secured on said chain, and means for actuating said chain to succesivel position said stops in the path of the slide during the retraction thereof whereby the return movements of the slide will be limited by said stops.

ALBIN C. NEBEL. 

